This technical note asks what role Canadian Bison ranchers play in conserving North American Bison. Bison are keystone species in grassland ecosystems and pose numerous ecological benefits as wild animals. Unfortunately, most wild Bison have been eradicated through the process of colonization. Today, over 90% of Bison exist in commercial production rather than for conservation; however, the Canadian Bison Association—an organization committed to protecting the industry—wishes to blur the line between the two. Conversations with a few members of the CBA suggest that ranching may support the numerical recovery of Bison but may not support ecological recovery. Although there have been calls for cross-jurisdictional collaboration in the Bison conservation literature, more research is needed to reconcile what appear to be incompatible values between ranchers and ecological conservationists.

中文翻译：

---

加拿大野牛保护和野牛牧场技术说明

本技术说明询问加拿大野牛牧场主在保护北美野牛方面发挥什么作用。野牛是草原生态系统的关键物种，作为野生动物具有众多的生态效益。不幸的是，大多数野生野牛已在殖民过程中被消灭。如今，超过 90% 的野牛都以商业生产而非保护为目的；然而，加拿大野牛协会——一个致力于保护该行业的组织——希望模糊两者之间的界限。与 CBA 一些成员的对话表明，牧场可能支持野牛数量的恢复，但可能不支持生态恢复。尽管野牛保护文献中有人呼吁跨辖区合作，但仍需要更多的研究来调和牧场主和生态保护主义者之间看似不相容的价值观。